Children
by Konsui's Little Brother
Summary: When Canada finally manages to get the other nations to come to his home country for a meeting, they are in for a surprise. Because Mathew doesn't live alone and his children are not fans of the other nations. Not when they forget their father so often.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yes, I am starting a story that features Canada's terriotries and province's. If you don't like it, don't read it. I'm putting my own twist on this type of story though and it will not focus wholly on Mathew's children so you don't have to worry there. It's also a part of my self-imposed contest to pair Canada with, well, everyone. I'm a sucker for pairings that have him in it, no matter who they're with.

I hope everyone enjoys reading this!

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><p>"So, this meeting we're all going to...Where's it at again?" Alfred's voice flitted across the rows of seats to Yao, who was pointedly ignoring the conversations and instead going over trying to go over the stack of papers he would have to read from when his turn to talk came.<p>

No one answered the loud American nation and, for a moment, it brought a small smile to Yao's face. At last, he would get a little bit of silence. Unlike most of the other nations on the plane, he had several announcements that he would have to make; especially since he would be speaking for both Kiku and Kaoru during the meeting. The Japanese nation was still suffering from ailments caused by the plants in his country exploding and the latter of the two had been left to watch him and make sure that he didn't over-exert himself.

So Yao, being the good older brother that he was, was taking both of their places at the meeting.

The meeting that they had been told about almost four months ago, yet it still took Ludwig calling everyone to make sure they all showed up. After which, even the stoic German had 'forgotten' where the flight that they were on was taking them.

Which was pathetic.

Yao understood just as well as everyone else that Mathew was rather forgettable but not even being able to remember that they were on the way to Canada...It was disgusting! Even Alfred, Mathew's near identical twin, had forgotten! Actually, now that Yao thought about it, Alfred had been the first to forget the younger nations existance.

"Well?" Alfred prompted. "Cause if no one knows, I say we all just head home!"

Several grunts of agreement came from the other nation passengers, Feliks and Romano both nodding and sending pointed glances towards Ludwig; who, like Yao was previously, was still ignoring all of them in favor of paperwork.

And it took a few moments for Yao to pull the name up of the country they were going to, because it had suddenly just vanished from his mind, but eventually he did. "We are going to Canada, Alfred. It would be best if you could remember that, aru."

His dark eyes narrowed slightly at the American, who looked confused before looking away, embarrassed. "That is what I thought, aru."

Airport, several hours later

"So, now what, Yao? We just supposed to stand around here for the whole trip?" Romano asked, nose scrunched up in irritation as he scowled at the Asian nation. "Because I sure as hell don't know how to get to...Wherever we're supposed to go. Do you even know where the big ol' government building is?"

"No, aru, I do not." Yao snapped. Why did they all think that he would know everything about the country they were in? Just because he happened to be able to remember the embodiment of Canada more often then the others, didn't mean that he would remember everything about him.

Besides, Yao told himself, forcing himself not to frown and instead to merely turn away from the muttering nations behind him, it had been centuries since he last visited the True North. "And I am sure that...Our guide...will be here soon."

Drats. What was his name again? He was sure that he'd just said it a few moments ago. Didn't it start with an 'M'? Yes. Yao was almost positive that it had.

"I am here, already." Mathew frowned slightly at the group of assembled nations before him. More than a few of them jumped at the 'sudden' voice, despite the fact that the Canadian hadn't spoken any louder than his normal soft tone.

For a moment, all of the nations just stared at Mathew, uncomprehending looks on their faces. Then Alfred was grinning and throwing his arms out, nearly whacking Yong Su in the head as he did so. "Mattie! Man, we've been waiting here for like ages! What took you so long?"

Yao was half-expecting some sort of mild mannered protest about 'having been there the whole time', because he thought that Mathew said that quite often, but instead the tawny haired man just shrugged.

"Sorry, Al. I got...Caught up...With things at home." Mathew gave a smile, _fakefakefake_, before motioning towards the part of the airport behind him. "But everything's settled now. I have cars waiting for all of you out in the parking lot."

"Sweet! What hotel'd ya book for us? A cool one right?" Alfred asked, swinging an arm around his Canadian brother. "One near a McDonald would be awesome!"

Carefully moving away from Alfred, Mathew shook his head. "Actually, that's one of the reasons that I'm here so late. There was a...problem...With the hotel."

"What sort of a problem?" Ludwig questioned. One thin eyebrow arched, a displeased look on his face.

Mathew just shrugged again. "A problem. I'm very sorry, everyone, but I have set rooms up for you at my home until I can get rooms for you all at the hotel." It would probably last the whole trip before someone believed Mathew and let him re-book all of the rooms. Until then, he would have a fuller house than normal; and such a joy it would be, to have everyone meet his children.

Great. Even his thoughts had gotten sarcastic sounding.

The Canadian gave another smile and tilted his head slightly. "But I'm sure that you're all tired right now. Why don't we get going and clear out of the airport, eh? I'm sure the staff are tired of trying to work around all of us."

Mathew made a waving motion with his hand as he turned away from the group, easily slipping through the crowd. A few of the nations, such as Alfred and Arthur, followed him, but most just sort of stood around and looked at each other.

Like it was such a hard decision to follow Mathew into the parking lot. Yao snorted and turned a rather dissaproving frown on Ludwig; it was mostly his fault, Yao figured, that no one was following Mathew. They all figured that Ludwig would still be in charge of the meeting no doubt, a ridiculous thought since they were in Mathew's home country. "Well, Ludwig? Are you coming, aru?"

He tilted his head to the side, dark brown bangs falling into his face, before turning and walking in the direction that their Canadian-host had dissapeared in.

Really, Yao, and subsequintly the others, never would have found the parking lot is it wasn't for the fact that Alfred's voice was loud enough to be coming from a megaphone. His shouting about 'Fords' gave way their position brilliantly.

It was hard not to blame the shouting, once he actually saw the beat-up red pick-up truck parked next to Mathew. The vehicle had obviously seen better days. Cleaner ones too, considering the dried clumps of dirt all over it and the spots where the paint had been scraped off. The front fender was bent inwards in the middle and both it and the rims, what could be seen of them through the mud, was rusted.

It seemed like it was the cause of the commotion, as Alfred was jabbing one finger angrily at the truck while he shouted. "Seriously? You're still driving that? I thought you were gonna get rid of it after it got crashed!"

"That is what you said, lad." Arthur agreed, casting the peeling paint an almost disgusted look.

Mathew snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "No, that's what Alfred said. I told you both that I could fix her up just fine."

Niether of the blonds in front of him so much as registered the fact that he had spoken. Both Alfred and Arthur were suddenly engaged in an arguement with each other over what the accident had entailed.

"I'm telling you, Iggy, he hit a tree!"

"Don't call me that, you git! And he didn't hit a tree! It was an accident last winter when his roads froze over!"

"How immature. Why did the two of you not claim cars yet? It would have been easier for us to figure out where we were sitting if you had already taken your seats." Yao raised an eyebrow at the two bickering nations. It would have made more sense if they did. That way, there would be less seats for every one else to argue over.

Alfred laughed. "I didn't have ta! I'm going to ride with Mattie!" The American patted the truck that he was standing next to, oblivous to the soft sigh that escaped his northern brother.

"Actually, Al..." Mathew started, voice almost apologetic. He didn't get much anything else out though, because Ludwig had joined them by then and was barking out seating arrangements for everyone.

Yao wouldn't have allowed it if they were in his country, nor would many of the other nations, so it was interesting when Mathew just stepped back towards his car and let the German take charge. Right up until Ludwig stated that Francis would be in the pick-up.

It took a few times of Mathew clearing his throat for Ludwig to stop talking and look at him. "Actually, Francis is riding in the car with Antonio and Gilbert. I was thinking, maybe, that you would ride with me so I could explain what would be happening when we got to my house?"

A clouded sort of look crossed Ludwig's face as he stared at Mathew, eyes glazing over slightly and words trailing off into nothing, before he gave a faint nod. "A-alright. Alright. That will work, uh..."

Mathew didn't miss a beat, soft smile that was so very _fake_ kind still on his face. "Mathew. Canada."

The haze seemed to lift from Ludwig as he gave a sharper nod. "Ja, Canada. That sounds fine." And then he turned around and went right back to giving out orders.

Yao felt his brows furrow and tilted his head at Mathew, who was already sliding into the drivers seat of the rather beat up truck.

Later, inside of Mathew's house

The room that Yao and Yong su had been given to share was impeccable.

Two large beds, with plush quilts of red and white, were set up along the wall furthest from the door. There was just one dresser between the two but, as they were only there for the week, it didn't pose too much of a problem. A small tv had even been hung on the wall; which was good, because the older nation had no intention of entertaining Yong Su the entire time that they were there.

It had even come with a large desk, big enough for two people to work at with out rubbing elbows, which Yao was currently sitting at. Somehow, during the ride to Mathew's house, all of his papers had gotten mixed up. The report on how Kiku was doing was mixed in with the list of questions that Kaoru had for Arthur.

A good thing that the meeting didn't actually start until the next day.

Mathew, if Yao remembered correctly, had explained to them all down in the foyer that they would all just be resting today. The next day, he would drive them all to his Parliament and they would the World Meeting there. Then the blond had ushered everyone up to bedrooms, two to three per room, and stated that they could relax until dinner.

Not that paperwork was very relaxing. Yao sighed and placed the paper he'd just scanned into the pile dedicated to Japan's papers, picking up the next one and starting to look over it as well. At least Yong Su had left a few hours ago to bother Alfred, who had recently become his best friend and not so secret crush, and wasn't reading everything over his shoulder.

Yao detested it when people did that. If it was something they were supposed to read then, darn it, he would show it to them when he was finished with it!

A loud knock on his door pulled him away from his work and his thoughts. With a slightly irritated sigh, Yao put down the paper he'd been reading and swept over to the door. "I already told you, Felciano, I am not interested in joining whatever game that you and Francis have started up..."

Except it wasn't the bubbly Italian standing on the other side of the door, but a rather amused looking brown-haired boy.

The boy was almost as tall as Ivan was, with the same large build. The outfit he wore was almsot ridiculously cowboy-esque, with a rumpled blue plaid shirt and work-faded jeans. Large blue eyes stared out at Yao from beneath tousled bangs.

"Erm..." Yao blinked. Oh. It wasn't Feliciano. Well, wasn't that embarrasing?

The boy grinned at him, showing a mouth full of even teeth, and raised an eyebrow. "He's only been here for a coupl'a hours and he's already making a mess of things. I even want to know what he's doing?"

Yao just stared, not quite gaping but close to it. "Uhm."

"Oh, never mind." The boy, with what sounded distinctly like a southern twang to his voice, waved a hand at Yao. "I'll just tell Brother that he needs ta go break something up. I jus' came up to let ya know that dinner'll be ready in a coupl'a minutes."

"Oh. Well, thank you, aru." It was hard not to be impolite and just ask the boy who he was. Instead, Yao gave a slight head-nod and watched as the mystery boy loped down the hall; he stopped a few doors down, repeating the process and letting one of the other nations know as well.

That was rather...Odd. Yao wasn't quite sure who the boy was but he dissapeared back into his bedroom to get changed for dinner anyways; he could always aks his host about it later.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: First, I want to thank everyone that reviewed this story! It means so, so much to me to hear that people are reading and liking this story! I especially want to send out a special thank you to _themagnificantME_ who gave me some very helpful information on Nova Scotia; sadly, _themagnificantME_, I couldn't put him into this chapter.

Secondly, to everyone who made guesses about the mystery boy on the last chapter...You will get your answers here! I hope that this chapter doesn't dissapoint anyone, I know that it's a bit shorter then before. I'll try to get the next chapter up quicker but I'm still figuring out how quickly everything should move and how everything will be revealed. I hope you all understand!

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><p>"Je'anne, can you please bring in the casserole?" Mathew called over his shoulder into the kitchen area.<p>

He was out in the dining room, setting up the table for his guests, but with the way his house was built he could easily see into the kitchen. There wasn't an actual wall there, just an island that came out a few feet from the wall. Not that he would have had to look up to tell that his daughter had perched herself on the edge of the marble counters, messing with something on her Iphone.

The honey-blonde haired girl sighed and sat her new phone down on the counter. "I still do not see why you are going to such trouble to make a great meal for them, Mathieu. They do not deserve it." Her words carried a heavy French accent, fitting seeing as she bore a striking resemblance to Francis.

Setting down the last of the silverware, the good kind, not the cheap metal-ware he normally ate with, Mathew gave Je'anne a slight frown. It was barely there, just the corners of his lips twisting down ever so slightly but it was clear that he wasn't pleased with her.

"Je'anne, I already explained why. Please just help me get the last of the food brought out." His words were terse, even though he only looked up at her for a moment before he went back to straightening the table.

It was covered with a spread of food from all over the country; wurst and noodle dishes and the like. The perfect dinner to start off the World Meeting, Mathew figured. Most of the food had already been cooked the day before and reheated in the oven, but he'd done a bit of kitchen-work before going off to pick everyone up.

"I know you did but I still do not understand it." Je'anne said as she hopped down from the counter. Her navy blue pleated skirt swished about the middle of her calves and she smoothed out the front of her white, button up blouse; both of which hugged her slim figure nicely. "And I do not like it either."

Mathew hm'ed as he walked back into the kitchen. "I know you don't but it's really important that all of you get used to going to these sorts of meetings and the best way to do that is to have it here."

Just as he bent over and into the fridge to grab the Okrashka that he'd had chilling, the sound of footsteps entering into the room he'd just left alerted him of the arrival of some of his guests. "Je'anne, take out the casserole please. And remember what I said. Behave."

"I cannot make any promises, Mathieu." Je'anne gave the Canadien a too-sweet smile before picking up the glass dish and swaying her way out into the dining room.

There were several nations already seated at the table, though she herself didn't recognize very many of them. Alfred and Arthur she knew, and she had met Ivan and the Italies on several occasions, but the only one she knew even semi-decently was Francis.

And she was on the verge of hating him most days.

Said French-nation was among the people gathered at the table, pressed up against Arthur's side and across from Ludwig. He was also the first one to notice when she sauntered into the room and sat down the casserole dish.

Mathew had always said his Papa could smell a pretty girl.

"And who do we have here?" Francis asked, turning away from a scowling Arthur, a tooth-revealing smile spreading across his face. He laid both elbows on the table and leaned foreward, nodding at Je'anne. "Who are you, mademoiselle?"

"I am surprised that you do not remember me, Francis. You showed me so much interest the last time we met." Je'anne said, a slightly offended lilt to her words.

Francis blinked, sitting back up. "Excuse me?" He'd met this girl before? Odd. Though there was certaintly something about the young french-girl that seemed familar, he couldn't place a name to her face. "I am terribly sorry, cheri, I am normally so good at remembering the names of people pretty as you. Care to refresh my memories?"

Je'anne was about to respond, though she hadn't decided whether she should tell him off or allow the advances, when a hand landed on her shoulder and gave her a little push towards the other end of the table. She stumbled foreward, her ankle-high black boots clicking against the wooden flooring, and turned around to scowl at the nation behind her. "Matheiu!"

Mathew gave her a soft, placating smile; eyes shining, before he turned to look at Francis and the glimmer of joy slipped away. It wasn't an angry look, or even a particularly annoyed one, but it just wasn't the same as when he had been looking at Je'anne. "If it's all the same to the both of you, I'd rather you not refresh those memories Francis."

Setting down the hand-spun glass bottle of vinigirate, the Canadian nation turned and smiled at the other nation-people assimbled around the table. He had been forced to pull out all of the leaves to make it big enough for them all, which had still barely happened, and Joni had had to sew several white table-cloths together to fit it.

Now, the table was almost full. There were two empty seats, one inbetween Feliciano and Felix and one inbetween Ludwig and Gilbert, for Mathew and Jeanne to sit at. There were several other empty seats scattered about, though Mathew doubted they would all be filled tonight. He was lucky that Jeanne and Owen had promised to attend.

It was the seat inbetween the two German nations that Mathew sat down, though he made no move to announce the start of the meal. It wasn't that far past six, his typical dining time, and they could wait a little longer.

Ludwig cleared his throat as the Canadian sat down, sending a pointed dissaproving look at Je'anne. It was several moments before he actually spoke though, most of which was spent simply looking at the nation beside him. "Mathew, I thought we've all agreed on not having our people at these meetings."

By people, Ludwig meant regular humans. When the nations first started getting together, everyone had decided that it would be for the best to restrict access that regular humans had. Even the leaders of each country were only allowed entry if there was a specific reason for them to be there.

The corner's of Mathew's mouth tugged down ever so slightly. "Yes, I know." And he said no more on the matter.

Letting out a sigh, Ludwig rubbed his temple with three fingers. "Then why is she here?"

At that moment, the double doors into the dining room were pushed open and the boy that had gotten everyone from their rooms earlier loped in. He nodded his head in the direction of Mathew before continueing across the room and taking a seat next to Yao and Im Yong Su. "Sorry I'm late, brother, I was tryin' to get Joni to come down. She told me righ' where I could go, though, so I think she's just gonna stay up in her room for now."

Yao shifted in his seat, turning away from a near gaping Ludwig to look at the boy beside him. As he'd noticed when the boy had knocked on his room earlier, there was a striking resemblence to Ivan. The same pale hair. The same icy blue eyes. The same large build. Missing though was the Nation's almost mocking smile, replaced instead by something warm and welcoming.

"Mathew." Ludwig's voice took on a sterner tone than it had been. "Please explain who these people are."

"Of course, Ludwig." Mathew gave the larger man a smile, _fakefakefake_, and motioned first to Je'anne. "This is my daughter, Je'anne. And this," Here he motioned to Owen. "is my son, Owen."

A stunned sort of silence settled over the table. Several of the nations made no attempt at hiding the open-mouthed stares they turned on the two unfamilar faces while others, such as Yao and Berwald, merely sent curious glances at them. As though they had never met either of his kids before, never spoken to them or fought with them. Never helped to father one of them.

Francis let out an indignant stutter. "You're children?"

"Yes, Papa. You've met them both before." Mathew nodded but didn't really look at Francis. Instead, he shifted his gaze across the whole table, pausing for a little bit longer on several of the nations. Yao, he noticed, seemed to be one of the few nations not completely surprised by the revelation; the oppisite of the expression that his Papa and his Father bore.

"This is Quebec and Alberta."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Got a little more of the oc's in this one. Hopefully you all think that the characters are coming together as good as I think they are. ^.^ I'm trying to get a nice mix of oc and canon characters in here, while still setting it up for later events. The next couple of chapters will, hopefully, be a little longer.

I also want to give a special shout out to both _themagnificent Me_ and to _Negativity To Normality_ for their amazing reviews/pm's! Not only were their little history tips super helpful, but I enjoy finding out what my readers want to see in the provinces and territories. I can't promise that your ideas will be used, because it is my story and I alreayd have a couple of ideas for each character, but I always love to hear from you all.

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><p>It wasn't all that unusual, Yao knew, for a nation's Capital to be personified. Alfred, everyone knew, was proud to boast that he had D.C as a son and Yao himself had brought his own daughter, Beijing, to several meetings. It shouldn't have been so surprising that Mathew had children as well.<p>

But it was. Yao couldn't place exactly why but just the thought of it sent a prickle of unease down his spine.

Shifting once more in his chair, a high-backed well worn wooden one, Yao gave the province next to him a slight head bow. He couldn't recall ever even hearing about Mathew having children, and he hoped he wasn't just forgetting them. "It is very nice to formerly meet you...Alberta."

Human names were something that weren't easily thrown around. They were used in times of peace and when you were familar with the nation. Yao didn't want to offend the province by calling him by his human name right off the bat.

Owen sent him an easy-going grin though and nodded his head right back. "You two, pal. Call me Owen though, will ya? I'm not much for all those formalities."

"Of course." Yao agreed. "You may call me Yao, if you would like to."

Owen opened his mouth to say something else but stopped when a soft voice drifted across the still mostly quiet table. Both Owen and Yao turned their heads up to the front of the table to listen to Mathew speak.

"I'm sorry that everyone's not here for dinner today. There were some...Issues...With all of the arrangements." Mathew averted his eyes from Ludwig, who had given him an incredulous look, and instead motioned to the food spread out in front of everyone. "We're all here though, so go ahead and help yourselves. I've made plenty for everyone."

"You cooked, like, all of this?" Feliks asked. There was an approving look on his face as he poked his fork into one of the pierogi' on his plate but it was still easy to hear the disbelief in his voice.

Yao agreed with the blond. With the sheer amount of food that was on the table, it was hard to see one person making it all. Especially seeing as just about every dish represented a different country; his own being a heavenly looking platter of Stewed Spring Bamboo Shoots. On top of that, he knew that most nations, himself included, merely had the event catered.

Mathew nodded, smile brightening up just a little, as he helped himself to a hearty scoop of Pâté Chinois. "Most of it. Je'anne's amazing in the kitchen. She helped me with quite a few of the dishes."

"Stop being so humble, Mathieu. We both know that I only made the dishes you gave me instructions for." The blonde province stated, clearly annoyed at the Canadian. Yao couldn't figure out why though since it had been a compliment towards her.

By that time most of the nations had tuned out of the conversation and started to focus on the food. The sound of clinking cutlery and china being scraped and moved filled the dining room as conversation steadily peetered out. The flight that they had all taken hadn't been that well stocked with food options and most of them had just decided to skip lunch; Yao hadn't had breakfast either, just to ensure that there were no issues with his stomache during the flight, so he was especially thankful for the food.

Yao had also struck up a conversation with Yong Su about which of the two would be speaking first tomorrow. It was probably because of the conversation with his younger brother that he didn't notice the way the air had started to thicken, voices starting to raise, until the fight had completely broken out.

"Enough!" Je'anne snapped. She stood up so abruptly that the chair she'd been sitting in wobbled, just barely staying upright, and slammed one hand down on table in front of her. "That is enough!"

Yao jumped slightly, head snapping towards her, as did most of the other nations. He really had no idea what had happened but the blonde provnice did not look happy; not in the least.

"Je'anne..." Mathew warned. His voice was quiet, just barely loud enough to be heard, but no one paid him much attention. They were all too busy staring at the French-Canadian province.

"I will not sit here and listen to you ungrateful swines speak like this! Mathieu has graciously let you into our home, spent days preparing this meal for you, and you ingrates can do nothing but criticize him and tell him what he will 'have' to do next? Ridiculous!" The last word was spat out and she narrowed her eyes at first Alfred, then Ludwig.

Yao blinked, dark gaze turning to stare at the American. Alfred's cheeks were flushed red, wide blue eyes staring at the province, mouth hanging slightly open. Ludwig looked just as taken a back, though there was an offended look in his eyes and not one of embarressment.

It made the Chinese nation wonder what he had tuned out.

"Do none of you have any manners? Because you act like you do not!" Je'anne continued, flinging one hand through the air as she spoke. "You act just like you have always acted! Like id-"

"Je'anne!" Mathew interrupted her. His voice had an almost chilling tone of indifference to it and the blonde province stopped mid-word. "Please just finish your dinner."

And that was that. There was no shouting, no scolding, no mentioning of what had just been said. Just a flat voice and a small tug at the corner of Mathew's mouth; the smallest of frowns clear on his face.

"I merely told them the truth." Je'anne argued.

Beside Yao, Owen was shaking his head. "Just leave it, sista'. We both know you ain't gonna win."

Half-amused, half-annoyed, because he had thanked Mathew before he started eating, Yao found himself agreeing with Owen. Mathew had already gone back to eating, completely ignoring the incredulous look that his daughter was giving him.

With a huff, Je'anne crossed both arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. "Fine then. I am finished eating and will be in my bedroom. Good night Mathieu. Owen."

Turning on her heel, navy skirt swishing around her slender legs, Je'anne left the dining room. She was walking but her movements were stiff and angry and the double doors that led to the main hall closed behind her with a bang.

Mathew buttered himself another roll.

"What did we miss, da-zee?" Yong Su asked, head tilting to the side. He hadn't been paying any attention to it, too wrapped up in his conversation with his older brother and finishing his plate of food, until the door had slammed and Je'anne was already gone.

Mathew looked up from his roll and, for a moment Yao thought that he was going to explain. He didn't. The smile was back on his face though. "I wasn't planning on actually starting the meeting until tomorrow evening so, whenever you're done eating, you can go on up to your rooms and tomorrow I'll point everyone to the open areas of my house."

There were quite a few rooms that Mathew didn't plan on letting any of the other nations into. Things they had no business seeing and no reason to be messing with. And he wasn't going to just let everyone wander around like it was their own homes. Lost in his thoughts as he was, _darkpainburningrippingdark_, Mathew didn't notice the strange looks many people were giving him; nor did he see the annoyed looking frown that plastered itself on Yao's.

Yao didn't like it.

He didn't like the way that Mathew wasn't explaining Je'anne's sudden outburst, which even the nations that had been paying attention didn't seem to fully understand. And he didn't like the look Mathew gave everyone when he spoke, that glassy look in his light violet eyes and the soft smile on his face.

It was different from his other smiles and something about it...It bothered him. A lot of things were bothering him since the trip started, even when it wouldn't have bothered him any other day.

It made Yao uneasy. A nation as old as he was shouldn't let the mood swings and odd quirks of younger beings get the best of him.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Not as happy with this chapter as I was the last one. But these stepping stone chapters are needed sometimes. ^.^ Bear with me please! I'll do my best to make the next chapter longer and, hopefully, have some more answers for all of your questions! And thank you to everyone that's given me help with the history I need to know for this story, I love to hear from all of you!

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><p>Closing the door to his room behind him, Mathew leaned against it and let out a sigh. He knew that having everyone stay at his house for the meeting would be a hassle but that had just been ridiculous! Alfred never had that hard of a time telling everyone to get in their rooms and stay there; though his near-twin was always far more blunt with directions than Mathew had been which, no doubt, was the reason.<p>

But was it so hard for Arthur to understand that Francis was just not able to room with anyone else? Or for Feliciano to ask for extra blankets while Mathew was still at his room? Or even just on the same floor? His house wasn't a looming mansion or anything but it was big enough that trecking up and down the stairs repeatedly would tire him out.

And then, of course, was the multitude of problems he'd had when he passed the hall that the majority of his provinces inhabited. Even the thought of it, and the betrayed look that Alanis had given him when she passed in the hallway, made the throbbing behind his eyes start back up.

The migraine had started at dinner, just when Je'anne snapped at Alfred and Ludwig. While Mathew appreciated that the way his guests were behaving towards him had gotten Je'anne so frazzled, because there were days when he wasn't sure if she still cared for him or not, he'd specifically told her not to bother with it.

When she stormed out of the dining room, leaving behind an air thick with tension and eyes that were locked onto him, the migrain hadn't actually been that bad. As the day stretched on, crawling by as he bustled from room to room and nation to nation, it had steadily progressed into a feeling not unlike he was being beaten over the head.

Pushing himself away from the door, Mathew crossed through his room and into the adjoining bathroom. Pale, neutral colors made up the theme of the room; nothing fancy like he knew the other nations had. But then, to look at a high-class decor really wasn't why Mathew went into his bathroom.

And he liked tan.

Like the color palet, Mathew's bathroom was simple in design. It had all the necissities and little more. That, the Northern nation had reasoned when he first furnished the place, meant that it would be easy to find everything. Not that Mathew ever let his rooms stay messed up for any longer then he had to. Everything had a place and he liked to keep it there.

Which was why it only took a few moments of looking into his medicine cabinet to find the bottle of headache pills. Snatching them up to take out to the bed with him, Mathew pushed the cabinet door shut. And, for a brief moment, he found himself staring at the place where a mirror should have been.

Somedays were harder than others when it came to this. Even though the glass wasn't there anymore...He could still hear the voices. Still hear their threats and screams. Still wonder which side was true and which was a lie.

Abruptly, he turned on his heel and left the bathroom with an ache in his chest that hadn't been there before.

He would just take the pills without water that night.

xxxChina and South Korea's roomxxx

"Hey! Hey, Yao! Come look at this, da-zee!"

Yao sighed as Yong Soo's voice, loud as could be, shattered the peaceful silence the room had been. He should have known that it wouldn't last for long. Yong Soo and silence had never gotten along well. It was not, as his younger brother had pointed out once, created in South Korea.

"What is it?" Yao asked, clearly annoyed.

"I said come look at this!"

The Chinese nation dropped the pen he was writing with down on the desk, narrowing his eyes over his shoulder. Yong Soo had wondered into the bathroom a while ago, supposedly to get a shower, and he wasn't all that sure whether he really wanted to go in and look at anything. "I'm busy out here, Yong Soo. Is it really important, aru?"

There wasn't any answer. Nodding his head once, Yao picked the pen back up and turned back to his papers. It wasn't work for tomorrows meeting, that had all been taken care of earlier, but the last pieces of work his President had sent him to look over and sign. Which meant that it had to be finished and sent back to China as soon as possible.

Just as he put the nib of the pen to the dotted line at the bottom of his sheet, Yong Soo's voice rang out again: "C'mon, da-zee! I want you to see this!"

Pursing his lips together, Yao set the pen down. Again. "Fine. But if I get in there, Yong Soo, and this is just some game that you made up, you'll find yourself sleeping in the tub!"

Getting up from the desk, Yao pushed his chair in before crossing the room to the door that shielded whatever had gotten Yong Soo into such a flurry from him. And he could only imagine what it could be. His younger brother was so easily entertained...It probably was something as simple as the type of soap that Mathew's bathroom sported.

As it was, Yao hadn't been in there yet. With Yong Soo in there now, in who knows what state of undress, he wasn't all that thrilled about going in there either. With another sigh, Yao rapped his knuckles hard on the door. "At least make sure that you're dressed before I come in, aru."

There was another pause and then the tell-tale rustle of clothes being pulled on. Of course Yong Soo hadn't even bothered to get himself dressed and decent before calling him in. The Chinese nation rolled his eyes and waited until the noises stopped before pushing the door open.

Yong Soo was standing in the middle of the room, bright blue and green striped pajamas messily pulled on. He had a white towel flung across one shoulder, soaking the fabric of his pajama top. Another towel was on the floor near his feet and there was a puddle of water on the white tile by the actual shower. I

And, for the life of him, Yao couldn't see what the big deal was.

The bathroom was done up in plain white and black, giving it a more modern look then the room they were sleeping in. Heavy black curtains hung over the tub and the top of the counter matched it in color, both of which stood out in stark contrast to the white that filled the rest of the room.

"Alright, Yong Soo. I'm here. What did you want to show me, aru?" Yao raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Look, there isn't any mirror in here!" Yong Soo frowned and jabbed his finger at the spot above the sink where a large silver frame hung, apparently bolted into the wall.

Yao followed his siblings movements, eyes drifting to the frame. It looked like the base for one of the old fashioned mirrors that used to be so popular in Britain during the time of the first World War. Except...There was no glass pane in the middle of the frame. No actual mirror.

It was odd. Something about that missing chunk of glass, and the dark pane of wood that it revealed, made Yao feel horribly vulnerable. Open and unguarded. Which was silly, since it was just a broken mirror.

Frowning, Yao turned to frown at his brother. "Is this all you callled me in here for? A broken mirror? I told you I was doing something!"

"That's mean, Yao." Yong Soo let a sulky look settle on his face, crossing his arms over his stomach. "I wouldn't call you in here just for that. But it's pretty cool isn't it? You know mirrors were created in me, right da-ze?"

Yao had learned many years ago that there wasn't any point in correcting Yong Soo when it came to things he created. The Korean nation was set on claiming ownership for whatever idea struck his fancy. As long as it worked. If it didn't, then it didn't come from South Korea. And that was that. "Please just show me whatever it is that's got your attention. I want to finish my work so that I can get some sleep, aru!"

"Look at this, Yao!" Yong Soo squeezed inbetween the older nation and the sink and dropped down onto his knees. With an excited grin, he yanked open the door to the cabinets under it. "I wanted to see what type of soap and stuff he had so I pulled everything out." The Korean nation motioned to several bottles of bleach and containers of shampoo beside the toilet. "And look what I found when I did! Isn't that wierd, da-zee? Can you tell what it says?"

Blinking, Yao crouched down beside Yong Soo. Dark amber eyes narrowing, he reached in and trailed one hand across the mussed up wood. There were small, jagged lines all over the inside of the cabinet; some curved, some straight, facing all directions. Most of them were carved near the bottom of the back wall, but there were a few up in the corners and on the side walls as well.

It took a moment before Yao realized that they were letters.

The way they were placed didn't make any sense though. Every few spaces a different symbol would be thrown into the letter. It was clearly more then one, maybe two, different langauges.

"Well? Can you figure out what it says?" Yong Soo asked. He had shuffled back a few inches, without getting up, so that the Chinese nation could see it better. He'd spent a good few minutes staring at the writing but it had just been a big jumble to him. Yao though, he knew, was able to read most of the other countries langauges.

Still running his fingers across several of the words, feeling the rough way the wood had been carved and the splinters that still stuck up, Yao gave a slow nod. "Most of it, aru." The mixture of langauges threw him off a little, making it harder to understand; Russian and French and English, all in a row, all mixed together.

"Well? What does it say?" Yong Soo asked, leaning forewards to squint at the section of words Yao had let his hand rest on. Nope. Still no clue what was written there.

"They're names."


End file.
